This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-007899, filed Jan. 17, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to electronic shelf label system comprising a plurality of electronic shelf labels each having a display for indicating information about price, stock number and the like of individual commodities and electronic shelf label (ESL) server for managing the respective electronic shelf labels.
A retailer selling commodities and warehouse controlling inventory have shelves for displaying commodities.
Each shelf has a label for indicating information such as price corresponding to each displayed product, quantity of stock and the like. For example in the retailer shop, there are shelves on which products for sale are displayed and labels indicating the prices of those products are disposed.
In recent years, electronic shelf label has been used, in which the product label employs electronics. The electronic shelf label which the retailer uses has an indicator, and this indicator displays a price and the like.
The retailer shop has a plurality of the electronic shelf labels, which are controlled concentratedly by an ESL server.
If a price of a product is changed, the ESL server sends a price change data to an electronic shelf label displaying that product.
If receiving the changed price data, the electronic shelf label changes the price information.
For example, a super market, convenience store or the like may possess several thousand or more electronic shelf labels per shop.
The electronic shelf label needs electronic power for driving the indicator. However, if this power is introduced from commercial power source through power line, wiring layout and electronic shelf label layout are very difficult to make.
To solve this problem, the electronic shelf label contains a battery inside for use as a power supply. However, the battery has a limited service life.
In a store having several hundred to several thousand electronic shelf labels, there is such a problem that if an electronic shelf label having a battery is replaced with a new electronic shelf label each time when the service life of the battery ends, it takes much time and labor thereby keeping low working efficiency.
According to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 9-138892, a plurality of electronic price indicating labels each having a data file containing age data are disposed, the age data is periodically read from the data file of this electronic price indicating label by computer. If the computer determines that age data is larger than a threshold period preliminarily set by the computer, replacement of the label is instructed.
Meanwhile, although such an electronic price indicating label does not consume so large power when indicating a product price or the like, power consumption increases if it communicates with the computer.
Power consumption changes depending on surrounding temperature environment in which the electronic price indicating labels are disposed.
According to a replacement method for the electronic price indicating label described in the above publication, the computer communicates with the electronic price indicating labels periodically, reads out age data from the electronic price indicating label and compares it with a threshold period. If the age data is larger than the threshold period, the electronic price indicating label is replaced.
Thus, if the battery is accelerated because of communication condition, temperature environment and the like, the service life of the battery may end before the age data becomes larger than the threshold data.
Conversely, if the battery is decelerated because of communication condition, temperature environment and the like, such an event that the service life of the battery has not yet reached its end may occur when the label is replaced because the age data becomes larger than the threshold period.
Further, because the computer reads the age data from data file of the electronic price indicating label periodically and compares the read age data with its threshold period so as to determine whether or not the electronic price indicating label should be replaced, burden on the computer by the processing is increased.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic shelf label system in which if an electronic shelf label whose battery power consumption is affected largely by operating days is employed, an electronic shelf label whose battery electric power drops below a predetermined level can be specified and notified easily and securely so as to reduce a processing load of an ESL server.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic shelf label system in which if an electronic shelf label whose battery power consumption is affected largely by operating days is employed, even if initial power capacity of a battery differs from one to another, an electronic shelf label whose battery electric power drops below a predetermined level can be specified and notified easily and securely so as to reduce a processing load of an ESL server.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic shelf label system in which if battery power consumption by communication processing is larger than power consumption by other processings than communication processing, an electronic shelf label whose battery electric power drops below a predetermined level can be specified and notified easily and securely so as to reduce a processing load of an ESL server.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an electronic shelf label system in which if battery power consumption by communication processing is larger than power consumption by other processings than communication processing, even if initial power capacity of a battery differs from one to another, an electronic shelf label whose battery electric power drops below a predetermined level can be specified and notified easily and securely so as to reduce a processing load of an ESL server.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electronic shelf label system in which if battery power consumption is affected largely by both operating days and communication processing, an electronic shelf label whose battery electric power drops below a predetermined level can be specified and notified easily and securely so as to reduce a processing load of an ESL server.
A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide an electronic shelf label system in which if battery power consumption is affected largely by both operating days and communication processing, even if initial power capacity of a battery differs from one to another, an electronic shelf label whose battery electric power drops below a predetermined level can be specified and notified easily and securely so as to reduce a processing load of an ESL server.
A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide an electronic shelf label system in which an electronic shelf label whose battery electric power drops below a predetermined level can be specified and notified easily and securely and that specified electronic shelf label can be notified that it is specified, so as to reduce a processing load of an ESL server.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an electronic shelf label system in which a worker is notified that an electronic shelf label is specified for replacement.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an electronic shelf label in which a worker is notified that an electronic shelf label is specified because its battery remaining power is a little.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.